Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) is the official term used by
governments
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
, businesses and media in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
to refer to all types of
liquor manufactured in the country other than
indigenous alcoholic beverages such as
feni,
toddy,
arrack
Arrack is a distilled alcoholic drink typically produced in India, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia, made from the fermented sap of coconut flowers or sugarcane, and also with grain (e.g. red rice) or fruit depending upon the country of origin ...
and
others.
IMFL is also referred to spirits that are produced in foreign countries and imported to India in bulk quantities and bottled in an Excise Bonded Warehouse by the Importers.
Manufacturing
When locally manufactured, the various types of IMFLs are supposed to be produced using their traditional methods, such as fermenting grain mash to produce whiskey. However, a common characteristic of many IMFLs, distinct from spirits elsewhere in the world, is that irrespective of the final product the starting ingredient is a
neutral spirit
Rectified spirit, also known as neutral spirits, rectified alcohol or ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin, is highly concentrated ethanol that has been purified by means of repeated distillation in a process called rectification. In some countri ...
distilled from
molasses, a byproduct of the
sugar industry. This neutral spirit at 96%
alcohol by volume is first reduced to 42.8% using
demineralised water, whereupon flavours and other spirits are added.
Caramel colouring is added at this stage to impart colour to the spirit. Most commonly, grain or malt-based
whisky
Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Various grains (which may be malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden ca ...
, which may include imported
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
or
Scotch whisky is blended with the spirit.
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See also
*
Alcoholic Indian beverages
*
Beer in India
*
Desi daru
Desi Daaru ( hi, देसी दारू), also known as Country Liquor or Indian-made Indian liquor (IMIL) is a category of liquor made in the countryside of the Indian subcontinent. They are traditionally prepared by a procedure that has been ...
*
Indian whisky
most distilled spirits labelled as "whisky" in India were a form of Indian-made foreign liquor, commonly blends based on neutral spirits that are distilled from fermented molasses with only a small portion consisting of traditional malt w ...
*
Lion beer, Asia'a first beer brand
*
Solan No. 1, India's first malt whisky
*
Old Monk
Old Monk Rum is an iconic vatted Indian dark rum, launched in 1954. It is a dark rum with a distinct vanilla flavour, with an alcohol content of 42.8%. It is produced in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh and have registered office in Solan, Himachal P ...
, iconic Indian rum
*
Sura
Other India alcohol related
*
Alcohol laws of India
*
Alcohol prohibition in India
Alcohol prohibition in India is in force in the states of Bihar,
Gujarat, Mizoram, and Nagaland. All other Indian states and union territories permit the sale of alcohol.
The directive principles of state policy (DPSP) in the constitution ...
*
Dry Days in India
*
Kasauli Brewery
Kasauli Brewery and Distillery (formerly a brewery and presently a distillery since 1835), at Kasauli in Solan district of Himachal Pradesh state of India, was established in late 1920s during the British Raj by Edward Abraham Dyer - father o ...
, India's first European-style brewery still in operation
*
Solan brewery
References
External links
India's Ministry of Food Processing Industries page on alcoholic drinks
{{Portal bar, Liquor, India
Indian distilled drinks
Alcohol law in India